The inside track on Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and all the award shows.

• The long lists for the Evening Standard theater kudos saluting the best of London's West End have been released. Jude Law was snubbed for his "Hamlet" at the Donmar Warehouse, but "Doctor Who" star David Tennant earned a nod for playing the desolate Dane at the RSC. Other men in contention include Sir Ian McKellen ("Waiting for Godot") and Kevin Spacey ("Inherit the Wind"). Among those women competing for the newly named Natasha Richardson award for best actress are Deanna Dunagan, for reprising her Tony-winning role as one mean mama in "August: Osage County"; Amy Morton for once more playing Dunagan's put-upon daughter; and Rachel Weisz, who recently wowed as Blanche in a revival of "A Streetcar Named Desire." The awards -- judged by a panel of theater critics -- will be handed out in a Nov. 23 ceremony at the Royal Opera House. THE STAGE

• David Sprague gives a rave review to this weekend's silver-anniversary celebration concert of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He says the five-hour songfest at Madison Square Garden "threw together three generations of artists with just the right blend of rehearsal and spontaneity as well as reverence and devil-may-care attitude." Highlights from the show will air in an HBO special on Nov. 29. VARIETY

• Michael Ausiello breaks the news that Emmy nominee Gregory Itzin is returning to "24" for a multi-episode arc as impeached ex-President Charles Logan. "Logan will resurface toward the end of Day 8 when Cherry Jones’ President Taylor reluctantly enlists her disgraced predecessor to assist with an escalating diplomatic crisis," reports Ausiello. Itzin was featured prominently in the Emmy-winning fifth season of "24." The show won its only trophy for best drama series that year, but Itzin lost out on his supporting bid to Emmy champ Alan Alda, who played a losing presidential candidate on "The West Wing." ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

• Playwrights will salute four of their own tonight at the Players Club in Gotham. The Dramatists Guild event -- hosted by Christopher Durang -- will fete lifetime-achievement honoree Lanford Wilson as well as David Ives, for his controversial play "New Jerusalem"; Tom Kitt, for his Tony-winning score for "Next to Normal"; and Polly Pen for her body of work. PLAYBILL

• Roger Friedman bemoans the early cutoff for Grammy eligibility, noting that Jay-Z's new disc, "The Blueprint 3," did not drop till eight days after the Aug. 31 deadline. Among those in the running, Roger says, "The odds-on favorite would be the Black Eyed Peas album, 'The E.N.D.' The single, 'I Gotta Feeling,' is the odds-on favorite for best record and song. There are scant others. Lady GaGa is headed into the Amy Winehouse section as novelty hit of the year. You can’t begrudge her anything, but she has the feel of a one-hit wonder.There’s a lot of support for rock band Kings of Leon too. But they may wind up in the rock categories. Other possibilities: Kanye West’s '808s and Heartbreak,' U2’s 'No Line on the Horizon,' Bruce Springsteen’s 'Working on a Dream,' Rob Thomas’ excellent 'Cradlesong' (with the song 'Someday') and, of course, Whitney Houston’s 'I Look to You.' Houston is likely to score well in the Grammys simply because it’s a slow year." SHOWBIZ 411

• Alison Waldman welcomes back three-time Emmy champ Jonathan Jackson to "General Hospital" after a decade-long absence. Jackson created the role of Lucky -- son of famed soap couple Luke and Laura -- in 1993 and was nominated for the best younger actor Emmy for the last six years he was on the show, winning in 1995, 1998 and 1999. Reviewing his return, Alison says, "Working with Rebecca Herbst and Anthony Geary, I can say that it was a wise move to bring him back. No offense to Greg Vaughn, but he was never quite right as Lucky. Jonathan fell right back into the role and immediately made a huge difference." TV SQUAD

• Though every dog may have its day, not every Hollywood pooch will be a winner at the third edition of the Fido Awards. These London-based kudos give out prizes Nov. 22 to the top dog in categories including historical hound, rom-com rover and comedy canine. Among the nominees being considered by a jury of British film critics are "the animated dog stars of 'Bolt' and 'Up,' the titular mutt in 'Marley and Me' and in a rare non-canine choice the dapper, George Clooney-voiced 'Fantastic Mr. Fox.' " AP